Latin America In Focus

Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) has taken on the role of arbiter when it comes to negotiating U.S. agricultural trade to Cuba, sponsoring a bill that allows U.S. firms to let Cuba pay for exports with credit. The legislator has been working with Cuban-American lawmakers to widen the base of support on Capitol Hill and line up with the White House's trade agenda. “This fits very well in the Trump model: bilateral trade deals, and jobs, and America first,” he told AS/COA Online's Elizabeth Gonzalez in this interview. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Brazil’s pension reform delay is an obstacle for the country to regain its investment-grade credit rating, Fitch Rating’s Rafael Guedes told AS/COA Online’s Luisa Leme. The head of the ratings agency in Brazil explains the rocky road for rising investor confidence to translate into sustained economic growth. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

“Signing an accord is really not the key. Implementing the accord is the key,” says Virginia Bouvier, a senior advisor for peace processes at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She tells AS/COA Online’s Holly K. Sonneland which agenda items are still pending, the role of the international community, and how everything from elections to the weather affects Colombia’s landmark deal. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

En Latinoamérica, al menos cuatro países hoy en día han legalizado matrimonios del mismo sexo. Sin embargo a pesar de esto, los avances en los derechos de la comunidad LGBT están rezagados en comparación con la opinión pública en la región. Jaime Parada Hoyl, el primer político abiertamente gay elegido en Chile, conversa con Elizabeth Gonzalez de AS/COA Online sobre los desafíos que enfrenta su país y la región en general. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Tras haber sido una de las regiones del mundo con mayor representación femenina en la política, el hemisferio occidental podría quedarse sin ninguna presidenta o primera ministra en el 2018. Violeta Domínguez del banco de desarrollo CAF habló con Elizabeth Gonzalez de AS/COA Online sobre los avances alcanzados y los obstáculos que impiden cerrar la brecha de género en las Americas. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

What’s the next step for Mexico in its 10-year-old drug war? What would it take to end the country’s corruption epidemic? Who will win the 2018 presidential election? Jorge Castañeda, ex-foreign secretary of Mexico, spoke with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis, sharing answers to these questions and how they relate to turbulence in U.S.-Mexican ties under the Trump administration. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

China’s growing middle class is an opportunity for Latin American economies, but the region has to be proactive about it, says Angel Melguizo. The head of the Latin American and Caribbean Unit in the OECD’s Development Center tells AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez about the changing relationship with Beijing, from rising trade with Mexico to Venezuela's loans. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Something surprising happened with the Mexican peso since Donald Trump took office. The currency, which took a beating during the U.S. election, started making gains. So what’s ahead for the Mexican economy? Jorge Suárez-Vélez, a columnist with El Financiero, tells AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis what’s working for and against Mexico as we begin the Trump era. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Despite uncertainty facing North America over NAFTA, there are positive trends across Latin America, from the biggest to the smallest economies, says Alejandro Werner, the fund's Western Hemisphere director, in this podcast with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

After a year of political and economic turbulence in Brazil, Maurício Santoro of the Rio de Janeiro State University spoke with AS/COA Online's Luisa Leme about what the rise of political outsiders and a global protectionist tone mean for the country in 2017 and beyond. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

El general retirado Antonio Rivero es uno de los pocos militares venezolanos que ha salido de los rangos del chavismo. Y ha pagado cara su defección. En este episodio, el general habla con Holly K. Sonneland de AS/COA Online sobre el nivel de descontento entre los cuadros militares en Venezuela, la probabilidad de que haya una salida “de fuerza” a la crisis actual y las diferencias entre el Presidente electo de EE.UU. Donald Trump y el fallecido Presidente de Venezuela Hugo Chávez. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

How will Cuba change after Fidel Castro’s death and with a new U.S. president taking office? Richard Feinberg shared his insights with AS/COA’s Alana Tummino at a launch for his new book Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

While pundits piece together what was behind a Trump win in the U.S., Mexicans are looking ahead to their 2018 presidential vote. The results could be just as hard to predict, thanks to shifting political views held by millennials. Nacion321’s Alejandro Moreno and Pancho Parra tell AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis why Mexico’s next election belongs to that generation. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

The worst thing about Venezuela's crisis? It's that there's nothing left from the trillions of dollars reaped during the oil boom, says Caracas Capital's Russ Dallen. In this podcast, Dallen, also a lawyer and journalist, analyzes the country's latest swap deal, production figures, and more with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Cristina López was 29 when she and a group of women colleagues defied a gender norm and started a law firm. Nine years later, it’s become one of Panama’s leading legal firms and continues to be run by women. López spoke with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis about what sets apart an all-female firm. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

What makes Medellín the Silicon Valley of Latin America? For tech entrepreneur Nelson Almanzar, it’s the talent, technology, and business resources. In an interview with AS/COA Online’s Elizabeth Gonzalez, Almanzar talks about opening up shop for Talos Digital in Colombia’s second-largest city. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Earthquakes. Floods. Traffic. Pollution. Mexico City is prone to its fair share of hazards. But how does a metropolitan area that's home to 20 million people not only respond to them but also prepare to mitigate the risks? With a resilience strategy. AS/COA Online's Carin Zissis spoke with Mexico City's Chief Resilience Officer Arnoldo Matus Kramer about the capital's new resilience plan, starting with how to explain the concept in the first place. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Florida's changing Latino demographics are turning the swing state blue. The Miami polling firm’s Anthony Williams talked with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland about Donald Trump's "astronomically" low approval rating among Hispanic voters and how Hillary Clinton should focus on making sure people actually get out of bed and vote for her on Election Day. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

In Venezuela, since the government no longer follows the Constitution, calls to practice civil disobedience in fact seek a return to order, says congressional opposition leader Julio Borges. The Justice First party leader talks with AS/COA Online's Holly K. Sonneland about the recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro, the September 1 march on Caracas, and telling his young quadruplets why government supporters beat him. More: http://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-julio-borges-civil-disobedience-venezuela Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members. 

Venezuelan oil production is at its lowest point in 13 years, and that means Cuba risks taking on a $1.3-billion deficit if oil shipments from Caracas were to stop. University of Texas at Austin's Jorge R. Piñon talks with AS/COA Online's Elizabeth Gonzalez about whether the island's economy can handle the shock. Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.